Building on two previous waves of research conducted by The Network, an accumulation of 52 jobs websites in 132 countries of which totaljobs.com is the UK representative. , the Global Talent Mobility Survey has been carried out across 66 countries in partnership with Dutch research organisation Intelligence Group. In all, 162,495 jobseekers were asked for their views on geographic mobility.
It's clear both Italy and Spain are struggling under the burden of massive debt, with some speculating they will even have to default on the huge amount of money they owe and eventually leave the Eurozone. This difficult economic backdrop is having a big impact on the attitude of their respective labour markets as the football comes as a welcome distraction to the looming storm clouds above.
It seems there's no love lost between Spain and Italy, both on and off the pitch, with neither country rated highly as a place to move to for work among those surveyed. Only 21% of Spanish workers said they'd consider Italy as a country to work in while only 16% of Italians look favourably upon Spain, which Sunday's result will have done nothing to improve. In fact, Italians would rather travel thousands of miles to Canada (26%) or Australia (26%) than make the short trip across the Balearic Sea.
Despite their country's humbling 4-0 defeat in Sunday's final, only 35% of Italian workers blamed the poor economic situation at home for prompting the wish to move overseas for work. This is compared to over half (54%) of Spanish workers, suggesting they are more likely to want to escape their own country than be tempted away by the attractiveness of another.
Germany was the most desirable country for Spanish workers wanting to move, with 55% of those surveyed ranking it as their number one choice. The UK was second choice, with 46% of Spanish respondents saying they be willing to move there to work. For Italians on the other hand, the USA ranked as the most popular destination with 48% of workers eyeing a move across the Atlantic. Italians also rate Britain highly with 47% of those surveyed considering a move.
From a UK perspective, Spain is the preferred destination with 46% of British workers willing to move there while Italy lags behind with 34%. Italy props up the list of major European countries Brits are likely to move to with many seeing the language barrier as a big hindrance.
Italy was the surprise package of Euro 2012 with no-one giving the side much of a hope before the tournament began, in contrast to Spain who were widely considered favourites. However, Italy continues to underachieve economically with this survey suggesting they will see a net loss of talent over the coming years with domestic workers eagerly looking overseas to advance their careers while a smaller proportion of international workers intend to settle on Italian shores. This is in contrast to the Italian footballers - twenty of the twenty-three man squad plays in their country of origin. Similarly, the vast majority of the Spanish squad ply their trade in Spain with only four of the squad playing for foreign clubs - all of which, interestingly, are English teams.
But Spain is not out of the woods either. When celebrations of their championship win die down, the reality of their economic predicament will return. The Spanish debt burden is the elephant in the room at the victory party, suffocating growth and putting off internationally mobile workers from settling and investing in Spain. With youth unemployment at 50%, the great Spanish football success story is put firmly into perspective as many young people look to old rivals Germany and England to kick start their careers.
Mike Booker, international director at recruitment website Totaljobs.com
